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About this blog: I am a native of Alameda County, grew up in Pleasanton and currently live in the house I grew up in that is more than 100 years old. I spent 39 years in the daily newspaper business and wrote a column for more than 25 years in add... (More)

About this blog: I am a native of Alameda County, grew up in Pleasanton and currently live in the house I grew up in that is more than 100 years old. I spent 39 years in the daily newspaper business and wrote a column for more than 25 years in addition to writing editorials for more than 15 years. I have served as a director of many non-profits in the Valley and the broader Bay Area and currently serve as chair of Teen Esteem and on the advisory board of Shepherd?s Gate. I also served as founding chair of Heart for Africa and have travelled to Africa seven times to serve on mission trips. My wife, Betty Gail, has taught at Amador Valley High (from where we both graduated) since 1981. She and I both graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, as did both of my parents and my three siblings. Given that Cal tradition, our daughter went south to the University of Southern California and graduated with a degree in international relations. Since graduation, she has taken three mission trips and will be serving in the Philippines for nine months starting in September. (Hide)

Mertes' legacy will live on at Las Positas

Uploaded: Apr 27, 2017

There’s something right about putting your money where your heart is.
The late David and Barbara Mertes did just that in their will, leaving $6.85 million to Las Positas College Foundation in Livermore. Barbara served as the founding dean of what was then the Livermore campus for Chabot College in Hayward. She spent most of her career at Las Positas and the college district office. Both she and David held doctorates.
David had an equally distinguished career, serving as state chancellor of the community colleges, as well as chancellor of a district and president/superintendent of two other colleges. Throughout their marriage, Barbara lived in her native Livermore, while David came home on weekends while he was working out-of-town. After Barbara retired, she served on the community college board for 14 years.
After he retired from the state chancellorship, David was a founding member of the Las Positas foundation and served on the board for 11 years.
They were deeply invested in time and treasure in the college and in the valley. David had a particular interest in health care and engineered several medical projects in foreign countries in partnership with the Livermore Rotary and ValleyCare Health System.
The carefully thought-out gift to the foundation is an endowment to support scholarships tailored to areas that the Mertes’ were passionate about. The investment earnings from the gift will go to:
• A scholarship for students who want to continue their studies at a four-year institution in the arts. Barbara wrote and directed plays and established a strong arts program at Las Positas. She loved the arts.
• A memorial scholarship fund that will support graduating Las Positas students moving on to a four-year college. It includes scholarships for one male and one female basketball player in memory of the Charles and Margaret Fracisco (Barbara’s parents who both played high school basketball).
• A scholarship that will support Chabot or Las Positas students working on an associate’s degree in a health care field. Both David and Barbara served on the ValleyCare Hospital board
It is fitting that the performing arts center at the college bears Barbara’s name and she was celebrated for that while she could enjoy it. The memorial service celebrating her life took place there.
They have gone home to their eternal reward and their legacy will live on through the students their gift will support.